Design worth thinking about

Nov. 2, 2012

Design. It’s everywhere you look. Hence the title of this new column. I don’t claim to be an expert on design, nor an arbiter on what determines good design from bad. But I do know that when I stumble upon a product or experience that has been well designed and solves a problem or addresses a need, I am tickled. That being said, this column is intended to be an exploration of design. The good, the bad and the what-were-they-thinking kind of design. And, hopefully, from an objective stance.

So what is design? If you were to browse the magazine racks you might think it has only to do with fashion, interior design, or architecture. When someone says, “I am a designer,” what do you assume they do for a living? Most of us would immediately picture them in a trendy studio in front of a large-screen Mac wearing a graphic T-shirt, Converse All Stars and sporting interesting piercings and/or tattoos.

Hold on a second, big fella.

There is much more to design than that. Take a look at Ideo, a California-based company famed for its innovative approach on design. These guys design everything from digital experiences to toothbrushes to Bedsider, a brash and frank Web site that provides contraceptive information in order to prevent unplanned-for pregnancies the 18-29 age demographic. Everything Ideo designs is beautiful, regardless of the final product; proving that form and function can indeed dovetail. It isn’t necessary to sacrifice one for another. They call it “Design Thinking.” I call it smart.

Here in Fort Collins, we’re surrounded by really good design. One look at our downtown is evidence of a well designed experience. Parking aside, a trip downtown is designed by several local organizations (Downtown Development Authority, Downtown Business Association, Beet Street) to be a pleasant experience. In the summer we’re entertained by musicians, visual artists, and dancers. Old Town Square was designed with interaction and engagement at the forefront. It works. Just the other day when I was returning books to the Old Town library, I was regaled with “Sunrise, Sunset” played on a piano that was painted by a local artist.

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Design Thinking.

Look at all the companies that engage in Design Thinking as a natural part of their business. There’s Envirofit International, a company created from research and development done at the Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory at CSU. They design and produce wood and charcoal burning cookstoves for third world countries where indoor air pollution is a huge health issue. They could have designed something purely functional, but they didn’t. They looked at the end user and determined that even desperately poor people want beautiful objects in their homes. They incorporated need and desire into a functional product.

Design Thinking.

Take a look at Ride Kick, the trailer that pushes your bike as you tool along. It’s a simple concept, executed with elegance. As with the cookstoves, the inventors made a very technical product beautiful.

Design Thinking.

Design is all around us. It really is everywhere you look. The more we see design—really see it for its intrinsic value—the more we start including Design Thinking into our own mindsets.

Michelle Venus is a freelance writer living in Fort Collins. She is currently working on an art book entitled And Tomorrow Comes Again, which features the art and writing of people who have lost a loved one to suicide and are using Design Thinking and creative processes to promote their own healing. She can be reached at michelle@michellevenus.com